Fenton Lottery Club Turns Spare Change Into Huge Jackpot Win

Three people from the Fenton area have cashed in for $1 million from the Michigan Lottery.

The family members - who formed the Winfield Lottery Club - say they've been playing the lottery for decades, using spare change they collect from bottle deposits.

Winning Mega Millions Ticket Sold in Davison

The lottery club purchased the winning ticket at the Kroger store on North State Road in Davison.

“We are family members who have been playing the Lottery together for more than 30 years,” said a club member. “Whenever we take back bottles and cans, we save the money, and when we have enough, we purchase lottery tickets.”

The club matched all five white balls in the May 17 Mega-Millions drawing but didn't check the ticket immediately.

“Shortly after the drawing, I remembered I hadn’t checked our Mega Millions ticket yet, so I pulled up the winning numbers and looked the ticket over,” one of the club members tells the Michigan Lottery. “When all the numbers matched except the Mega Ball, I thought: ‘I’m not seeing this right.’"

Fenton Lottery Club Uses Loophole to Remain Anonymous

According to Michigan law, lottery winners who win over $10,000 in state-only games (like instant scratch-off tickets) can stay anonymous. Players who win large jackpots from multi-state games like Powerball or Mega-Millions do not have the option to stay anonymous.

But there is a loophole.

By forming a lottery club, players can elect to have a representative be the person who comes forward, representing the club.

Kenneth Baran represents the Winfield Lottery Club and tells the Lottery that the club members are delighted by their win.

“Everyone in our club agrees that winning is a huge blessing, and it still hasn’t fully sunk in for the club members yet,” Baran says.